Rotary reaction combustion turbine



Jan. 2, 1951 w. A. BILLUPS 2,536,024

ROTARY REACTION COMBUSTION TURBINE Filed March 9, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 W. A. BILLUPS ROTARY REACTION COMBUSTION TURBINE Jan. 2, 1951 '3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 9. 1945 swam/bow MW/wv (/2; 6/74! s Jan. 2, 1951 w. A. BILLUPS ROTARY REACTION COMBUSTION TURBINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 9, 1945 Patented Jan. 2, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in rotary engines, and more particularly to a reaction drive mechanism for the engine based on the well known dynamic reaction principle involving the discharge or projection of a fluid under pressure through a restricted nozzle to obtain a driving force in the opposite direction to that of the jet of the nozzle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rotary engine of the so-called rocket motor type and including the provision of a rotating disc hav ing a circular combustion tube secured to one side thereof and provided at one end with a restricted exhaust nozzle together with means for feedin and igniting fuel in the tube to create a force of energy at the discharge end thereof whereby to rotate the disc.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of this character of simple and compact form, which embodies relatively few working parts and which at the same time is efficient and rel'able in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference be ing had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and n which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on the l'ne 3--3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional View of the air compressor.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary Sectional viewof the combustion tube.

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail of the c rcuit make and break device for the spark plug of the engine.

Referring now to the drawings in detail. wherein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of the nvention, the numeral 5 designates an annular housin formed of circumferent ally split sections 6 and I having flang s 8 at the edges th reof and connected to each other by bolts 9, the housing having ventllat ng openings 5a therein.

The outer surfaces of the hous ng sections 6 and I are provided with bearings 10 and H in which a shaft !2 is journaled extending through the housing, one end of the shaft having a propeller [3 or other driven element secured thereto.

The housng 5 is supported in a stationary position on any suitable supporting structure (not shown) and secured to the shaft I 2 within the housin is a disc 54 to one side of which is secured a substantially semi-circular tube I5 closed at one end by a cap I6 threaded therein and having its other end tapering to form a nozzle ll of constricted form.

Also secured to one side. of the disc I4 is an air intake funnel l8 having its open end extending in a direction opposite to the open end of the nozzle I! and leading to an air compressor 19 having a casing and a plurality of fan blades 20 journaled therein and secured to a shaft 2| projecting outwardly from one side of the compressor casing and provided with a pinion 22 engaging a ring gear 23 secured to the inner side of the. housing section 6. The ring gear 23 is stationary and accordingly upon. the rotation of the disc M the pinion 22, shaft 2| and fan blades 28 will be rotated, the blades being arranged to draw air into the funnel l3 and force the air under pressure outwardly from the compressor l9 through a tube 24 communicating with the rear end of the tube l5 for supplying air under pressure to said last-named tube.

A fuel pipe 25 also communicates with the rear end of the tube [5 through the plug [6, the pipe 25 having a burner nozzle 26 at its inner end positioned forwardly of the air inlet pipe 24, the pipe 25 being connected to a passage 21' formed in one end of the shaft I2 and to the outer end of which a feed pipe 28 is attached.

The pipe 28 communicates with the outlet side of a fuel pump 29 having a pair of fuel pipes 35 and 3| attached to the inlet side thereof, the pipe 3|] leading to a tank 32 adapted to contain oil or other low grade fuel while the pipe 3| is attached to a tank 33 adapted to contain gasoline or other high grade fuel. The pipes 38 and 3 I have manually controlled valves 34 and 35 therein.

A valve housing 36 is connected in the pipe 28 having a throttle valve (not shown) mounted therein and operated by a lever 31.

v A pump overflow valve 38 is also connected-in the pipe 28 between the pump 28 and the throttle valve 36. the overflow valve being connected to the tank 32 by means of a pipe 39. The pump 29 is driven by a pinion 40 engaging a gear 4| secured to the shaft [2 and the gear 4| also drives a pinion 42 of a combined generator and starter motor 43 secured to the bearing lll at one side of the housing 5.

One side of the generator is grounded to the housing 5 and the other side of the generator leads to a battery 49 and to which is connected a spring-projected contact pin 44 slidably mounted in the housing section 6 and having its inner end disposed in the path of a spring contact finger 45 secured to the disc l4 and having a circuit wire 46 leading therefrom to a spark plug 4'! mounted in the tube [5 adjacent the rear end thereof. A control switch 48 is positioned between the battery 49 and the generator 43.

In the operation of the device, the valve 34 is closed and the valve 35 is opened and the generator 43 used as a starting motor for rotating the gear 41 whereby the shaft 12 will be rotated together with the disc 14 and the pump 29 operated for pumping gas from the tank 33 into the rear end of the tube 5. Fuel from the burner 26 is mixed with air entering the tube 15 from the air compressor l9 and pipe 24 and the fuel is ignited by the spark plug 4'1. The fuel is thus burned and expanded in the tube 15 and allowed to exhaust through the nozzle IV, the reaction of the gases escaping from the nozzle serving to rotate the disc it, the shaft i2 and the propeller l3.

The gas utilized for starting the motor is then cut off by the valve 35 and the valve 3:3 of the oil tank 32 is then opened thus supplying low grade fuel oil-to the pump 29 for feeding to the burner 26.

In view of the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that a clear understanding of the construction, operation and advantages of the apparatus will be quite apparent to those skilled in the art. A more detailed description thereof is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that although I have herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described, and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

'1. A reaction type rotary engine comprising a housing having a shaft journaled therein, a circular disc secured to said shaft and rotatable in said housing, a tubular body secured to said disc and curved to conform to the peripheral curvature of said disc, said tubular body embodying an elongated combustion chamber and a jet discharge nozzle at one end of said chamber, means closing the opposite end of said chamber, an air compressor attached to said disc and including fan blades, a drive connection for rotating said fan blades upon rotation of said disc, a pipe conmeeting said air compressor to said chamber adjacent the closed end thereof, a fuel nozzle in said chamber forwardly of the corresponding end of said pipe connecting said air compressor with said chamber, means continuously feeding fuel to said said fuel nozzle during operation of said engine, and fuel-igniting means carried by said tubular body and projecting into said chamber to ignite the fuel in said chamber and thereby produce a jet discharge of the products of fuel combustion from said jet discharge nozzle.

2. A reaction type rotary engine comprising a fixed, hollow housing, a shaft journaled in said housing centrally thereof, a disc secured on said shaft and rotatable in said housing, a hollow tubular body mounted on said disc and conforming to the peripheral curvature thereof, said body providing a combustion chamber having one end closed and having a jet discharge nozzle at the opposite end thereof, an air compressor carried by said disc, driving means for said compressor operatively connected between said compressor and said housing to drive said compressor upon rotation of said disc in said housing, conduit means continuously connecting the air-discharge side of said compressor with said chamber adjacent the closed end thereof, a fuel nozzle in said chamber, conduit means leading to said fuel nozzle from one end of said shaft, pump means continuously supplying fuel to said nozzle during operation of said engine, and fuel-igniting means carried by said tubular body and project ing into said chamber to ignite fuel discharge from said fuel nozzle and produce a jet discharge from said jet discharge nozzle to rotate said disc in said housing.

3. A reaction type rotary engine comprising a fixed, hollow housing, a shaft journaled in said housing centrally thereof, a disc secured on said shaft and rotatable in said housing, a hollow tubular body mounted on said disc and conforming to the peripheral curvature thereof, said body providin a combustion chamber having one end closed and havin a jet discharge nozzle at the opposite end thereof, an air compressor carried by said disc, driving means for said compressor operatively connected between said compressor and said housing to drive said compressor upon rotation of said disc in said housing, conduit means continuously connecting the air-discharge side of said compressor with said chamber adjacent the closed end thereof, a fuel nozzle in said chamber, conduit means leading to said fuel nozzle from one end of said shaft, pump means continuously supplying fuel to said nozzle during operation of said engine, and fuel-igniting means carried by said tubular body and projecting into said chamber to ignite fuel discharge from said fuel nozzle and produce a jet discharge from said jet discharge nozzle to rotate said disc in said housing, said air compressor comprising a casing, a shaft journaled in said casing, a plurality of fan blades on said shaft, and an air-intake funnel secured to said disc and leading into said casing.

WILLIAM A. BILLU'PS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,188,128 Armstrong Jan. 23, 1940 2,222,183 Rocheville Nov. 19, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 231,560 Great Britain Apr. 6, 1925 339,847 France Apr. 28, 1904 457,182 France July 5, 1913 58,497 Switzerland Sept. 16, 1911 147,908 Switzerland Sept. 16, 1931 

